Recognise desi beauties, not foreigners: Abhishek

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_notinuse_

@_notinuse_

Inactive

Posted: 13 years ago

Giselli Monteiro, Barbara Mori, Amy Jackson... A slew of foreign beauties are playing key roles in Bollywood films. But director Abhishek Kapoor feels this obsession with "white girls" can be damaging to 'desi' actresses.

"Our obsession with white girls playing lead in Indian films is extremely detrimental to the psyche of the Indian girl. As bad as selling fairness cream," tweeted the "Rock On!!" director.

"Our Indian girls are being sidelined to favour of this Caucasian invasion... STOP this madness and recognise our own beauties," he added.

Kapoor, who is now working on "Kai Po Che!", based on Chetan Bhagat's "The 3 Mistakes of My Life", says he is especially disturbed with how filmmakers cast foreigners in the role of an Indian girl.

Brazilian model Giselli featured as a Punjabi girl in "Love Aaj Kal". She also played an Indian in "Always Kabhi Kabhi".

British model-actress Amy Jackson played a Malayalee in "Ek Deewana Tha".

"I have no problem with a Caucasian girl playing a Caucasian... But selling her as a Punjabi or an Indian is deluding the audience and also making the Indian naive woman feel inadequate.

"Extremely harmful to their psyche, and people in power should be more responsible," wrote Kapoor.

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Hetal

@ibelieveinpink

Inactive

+ 5

Posted: 13 years ago

I have mixed feelings on this issue b/c if an actress is talented then it shouldn't matter what her skin color is as long as she can deliver the character.

However, if the actress is only chosen b/c she's "fair" and that equates to beauty then I object. It def sends the wrong message.

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youknowme

@youknowme

Voyager

Posted: 13 years ago

I totally agree with every word he says. As a brown girl who grew up in the 1970s in America and saw ANYTHING THAT WAS NOT ME held up as admirable and desirable trust me, it is extremely poisonous!

At least I could excuse it by remembering that at the time America was majority white, but it was MY HOME TOO and every one wants to feel worthy in their own home.

This is one reason I turned to Bollywood. It was good to see people who looked like ME getting the hero and being the pretty one.

India has no such excuse as 1970s America. This is just self-hatred perpetuated and excused over and over. And NO, it's not like these imported women are so talented. In fact they are usually the rejects from the entertainment industries of their own countries where something more than whiteness is required to get a role in a movie!

See the thing is Freida Pinto playing just another immigrant in a country full of immigrants makes sense. Charlize Theron playing a Punjabi village girl is ridiculous, especially when you have to pay extra to dub her and there are a billion talented actually Indian girls who don't need work visas and don't need to be dubbed yet they can't even get a foot in the door of what could become a very lucrative career.

TOTALLY WRONG.

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return_to_hades

@return_to_hades

Stunner

+ 6

Posted: 13 years ago

While I 100% agree with the point he makes, I disagree with calling Barbara Mori or Giselli Monteiro whites or Caucasian. Also Barbara Mori did play a Hispanic character true to her race.

Anyway, if Bollywood does want to evolve to a more global scale, mixed race, multi-ethnicities and foreign people do need to be part of the story telling. However, that does not mean you go on a hunt across the world for a fairer, prettier girl to play a desi. Nor should you write forced scripts to add that foreign exotic factors. Just write better scripts and cast appropriately.

Although, what does everyone think of casting of people like Halle Berry, Rashida Jones or Jennifer Beals as desi women - or do you think the part "black" ethnicity deters our filmmakers. I've always wondered why they don't seek out some of the darker more desi/mixed desi looking ones.

If i make a film, I am casting Snooki is a desi kuri. 😆

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TheRager

@TheRager

Achiever

+ 4

Posted: 13 years ago

Wow! Agree with Abhishek. YKM and RTH-you have nailed it!

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Koiza

@-koiza-

Sparkler

Posted: 13 years ago

i dont mind a foreign actress playing a punjabi girl or something. Its all good as far as she looks convincing enough being what she is potrayed as! Like the brazillion model in LAK, i came to know she is that after 2 months of watching the movie and i was like "WOW"! i never bought it as she was shown so convincingly as a punjabi!

However, favorism of foreign actresses over indian ones is clearly wrong which is happening alot these days! For instance take babara mori, just because she is spanish she was promoted as the next big thing already. Even katrina! how many people despite having famous boyfriends in the industry get such over-night success! Its the attitude of the producers and certainly the audience, some of them, who go nuts over any foreign actress no matter how terrible she is which does put our local ones to complex!

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Sano

@ISano

Stunner

+ 3

Posted: 13 years ago

he forgot another foreign katrina.. turquotte who is has a so called indian father

shayad vicky donor jaisa father ho uiska u never know lol😆

Edited by Sallufanno1 - 13 years ago

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Rekha_ji

@Rekha_ji

Rocker

+ 2

Posted: 13 years ago

It goes both ways. Don't send your wife Aishwarya Rai to Hollywood. There's Mallika Sherawat trying her luck over there. Freida Pinto is making waves. Many others are on the verge of crossing over in the West. But when western girls like Katrina Kaif + Amy Jackson have been invited to be part of a film in India, there's a big hoo haa.

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Antlers

@Antlers

Sparkler

Posted: 13 years ago

what a f**king hypocrite.

This issue could go two way: immigration or fair skin.

your pick!

https://www.indiaforums.com/forum/debate-mansion/2984373/mirror-mirror-on-the-wall

Edited by TexanHolden - 13 years ago

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ashna

@ashna26

Sparkler

+ 2

Posted: 13 years ago

#10

Big deal. If foreigners want to work here see no problem. I'm sure Indians will get chances too Because I do feel new talent is lacking at the girl sides same kinda with the men sides. Most of the newcomers almost all are starkids.. kinda sad. Maybe we should have a discussion give other people also a chance. Also I do have a problem when they lie about that they are indian when they are not, just to fool the indian audience!! 😆

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Recognise desi beauties, not foreigners: Abhishek

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